Senses

At times, it's hard to imagine that it's been a little over seven years since I moved (back) to Toronto—a city whose ethnic and cultural diversity is reflected in its various world cuisines and one that easily allows you to be transported from the vibrant, bustling streets of Chinatown and the sidewalk cafés of Little Italy ... to the dazzling array of festivals in Greektown and the fragrant spice markets in Little India. I've now spent half of those years in the Entertainment District—a neighbourhood that, apart from its live theatres and performing arts centres, is recognized for some of the best fine dining establishments in the city.

One of these establishments can be found on the ground level of the SoHo Met, a luxury boutique hotel located just up the street from my condo that houses the upscale Senses Bakery and Restaurant. On multiple occasions, I've no doubt indulged in the bakery's mango lime cheesecake, "Raspberry Symphony," white-chocolate cheesecake, or "Tuscany" dessert, but only recently did I have the opportunity to sample the restaurant's dinner menu featuring Chef Patrick Lin's signature Asian-fushion dishes.

While service was cordial (though nothing exceptional), the food was exquisite both in taste and presentation. Appreciating how unfortunate it would be to forego dessert while dining at Senses, I decided to bypass the selection of appetizers (nothing on the list having particularly appealed to my senses) and wasted no time ordering the sea bass, followed by a quartet of crème brûlée.

The main course took an unusually long time to arrive (45 minutes, despite there being at the time only two other tables of seated guests in the dining area), but it did prove to be worth the wait, especially when there was duck confit to accompany the bread basket. Fresh, moist, and tender, the filet of sea bass was baked to mouth-watering perfection and served over a bed of wasabi-flavoured risotto—a nice Japanese-inspired twist to an otherwise ordinary side dish. Dessert, too, was a creative rendition of a European classic: four mini ramekins of scrumptious vanilla, mocha, ginger, and chocolate crème brûlée—a delicious end to a superb dining experience.

Senses Restaurant is located in the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel at: 328 Wellington Street West (Blue Jays Way)